Impulse
by jazziisms
Summary: Superhero? Check. Avenger? Check. Homework? Sure. Social life? Eh. Girlfriend? - uhh you might wanna get back to him on that one.
1. Spiders Are Not Bugs

**Hey guys. I know some of you all are upset with me for taking _Webbed Lines_ &amp; _With Great Power_ down, but as a writer I felt like the stories weren't going anywhere. And writer's block sucks like a lot.**

**So I decided to start fresh again! Season 3 so far is great, and its given me so many ideas to work with. In other words, I'm back :]**

**Read, review, whatever ;3**

* * *

**This is NOT how I wanted to spend my Saturday.**

Peter yelped as he was blasted back several feet, landing not-so-heroically on his back.

**I came out to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now.**

He barely dodged a shot to the groin, twisting his legs and hoisting himself back up to his feet.

**_Okay._ Guess I deserved that one.**

"Looks like someone's not as ultimate as he claims himself to be!"

"I'll show you, Bucket Head!"

**VERSUS**

From then on out, Peter and Sam - once again - raced each other in who could defeat the 'bots the fastest. Ava, Luke, and Danny stopped fighting altogether and sighed, their heads flipping left and right as they watched their two friends act stupid. Again. Peter and Sam were oblivious, practically lunging themselves at their targets as they popped up from all directions. Any other Saturday and Peter would be patroling the city, but noooo ; he had a team to lead, and lone heroes to recruit. Hey-that's what makes him the _Ultimate_ Spider-Man. And he was loving it.

"You're _slackin'_, Webs!"

_"Dream on!"_

"We're gonna be here all night, aren't we?"

"Not if _I_ have anything to say about it..."

"Ava, no!"

But the tigress was already marching her way over, pushing up the sleeve of her suit, claws extending and sharpening.

"Uh oh. Spidey senses tingli-_whoa_!"

Peter was the first to get it, knees buckling and automatically ready to bend at her every will as Ava grabbed him by the ear.

"What's wrong, Webs? Cat got your-_agh!_" Sam nearly collapsed as Ava grabbed him too, dragging her two idiots out of the training room.

"Pizza?" Luke grinned.

"Pizza." Danny grinned back.

* * *

Peter was still rubbing his ear gingerly, grumbling under his breath as he followed his friends inside the pizza parlor. Sam could be seen doing the same fashion. Ava, however, looked rather pleased with herself, and ordered the pizza while the boys found their usual spot.

"She really pinched it hard!" Sam whined, glowering in Ava's direction, sending imaginary laser beams into the back of her head.

"Heh, that's what she said," Peter commented, and the two shared a snicker.

And by then, Ava had returned; having overheard their immature, boyish exchange, she slapped the both of them upside the head and took the empty seat next to Danny, leaving the two boys groaning again and rubbing their new-found injuries.

**What's with the _ABUSE?!_**

"You two deserved that one," Luke grinned, his bulky arms crossed over his broad chest.

Peter frowned.

**...Okay, so maybe he's got a point.**

"So what are we gonna do about Flash?" he asked his team. The fact that Flash Thompson (Peter's bully since like, _ever_!) was the new Venom (really _Agent_ Venom if you wanna get technical) shocked his team into next week when he told them. The symbiote finally found its perfect match and, well, now Flash was swinging around as a masked vigilant too. And sure, he was good. _Better_ than good. But that didn't mean that Peter wasn't concerned at all. Flash was his friend - **hard to believe, I know** \- and Peter was just looking out for him. Flash he trusted. Venom was another story.

"You mean, what are _you_ gonna do about Flash?" Ava corrected him, leaning forward in her seat.

"Huh?"

"Flash is _your_ responsibility," Ava lowered her voice, and Peter had to lean closer to hear her, his arms crossed on the table.

"_Our_ responsibility," Peter corrected her.

She mirrored him. "That's not your decision to make-"

"You're right. It's _his_. But he's gonna need guidance and the right people to push him in the right direction - and that's _us_. He's just like we were when we first started out as heroes. Before SHIELD found you, did you know what you were doing?"

Ava hesitated, and even the others had to admit that Peter had a point. "That's...that's not the-"

"Hey, do what you want, Ava. I'm not trying to make you do anything that you don't wanna do. Any of you," he added to Sam, Luke, and Danny. "But I'm _helping_ him."

"Even if that means telling him your identity?" Ava pressed.

Peter sighed. Flash was the last person he'd ever tell about his web-swinging secret, and to be honest, Mary Jane and Harry were at the top of his **_to-tell_** list. Unfortunately, after a series of - debatable - unfortunate events...it looked like Peter didn't have a choice. "Even that."

His team exchanged glances, and he studied all of their faces closely: Sam shrugged a shoulder; Danny's eyebrow went up in interest; the two turned simultaneously in Ava's direction with small smiles beginning to spread; Luke gently nudged Ava knowingly with his shoulder, the three of them giving her a look. Her jaw taut, Ava's hazel gaze slowly shifted to Peter's, and the web-swinger gave her his best smile. But on the inside, he was completely _terrified_. Ava could do anything. She could claw his face. Or worse, _mount his head on the wall as a **trophy**_. He shuddered at the mental picture.

Peter stopped counting in his head after fifty seconds (of complete, absolute _silence_).

"Fine." (_"Yes!"_ Peter pumped his fist in the air.) "We'll go along with whatever you're planning. Just don't screw this up."

"No pressure, Parker!" Sam clapped him on the back.

"Gee, _thanks._"

* * *

"No. _Way_."

Peter sighed. "Yes, Flash."

"_You're_ Spider-Man? _Parker?!_"

"Shh!" Peter shushed him, flailing his arms, and Flash leaped back awkwardly. "I like to keep that on the down-low, okay?"

"There's no way you're-there's no way!" Flash whispered.

"_Yes,_ way!" Peter squinted up at him.

Flash huffed, crossing his arms. _"Prove it."_

Peter rolled his eyes, then cast a look around the empty locker room. When he felt comfortable enough, he finally leaped up, latching onto the nearest wall and began to climb.

**Can't believe I'm doing this.**

He hopped to the next wall, flipping over and around the corner, and stuck just as easily to the lockers. He could feel Flash's eyes follow him in wonder, and he wouldn't be surprised if Venom's new host began screaming and foaming at the mouth. And, in truth, Flash looked like he was close to fainting; wheezing noises were coming out of his mouth, his whole face lighting up like a super fan would upon seeing their celebrity idol face to face, and he was biting his nails at a rapid pace.

**...Heh.**

"You're - You're - You're -!" Flash squealed in a very un-masculine manner, jumping up and down.

"Thwip, thwip," said Peter, flicking his wrists. Webbing shot out of his shooters, hidden under his sleeves, and stuck to the opposite set of lockers from across the room. He used them for leverage as he pulled himself back and let go, propelling himself across the air, and stuck his landing. Literally.

"Do you believe me now?" Peter crossed his arms skeptically.

Flash fainted.

* * *

"He fainted."

"You guys too?"

"Yeah," Sam rolled his eyes. "Danny barely finished his sentence when Thompson fell out. What a _dork_!"

"And you're not?" Ava punched him in the arm, and Sam wheezed in pain.

"Now he knows about us," said Danny. "What will be our next move?"

"You're not thinking of putting him on the team, are you? One bug is enough." Sam got hit by Ava once again, and he whimpered, rubbing his injured arm gingerly.

"Spiders. Are. Not. _Bugs**!**_" Peter fumed dramatically.

_"Who cares?!" _Ava interjected before Peter and Sam could get into it, throwing her hands out irritably. "Despite his insensitive stupidity, he has a point. _Are_ you?"

Peter sighed and shook his head. "No...but if he needs our help, any of us-"

"We will come to his aid," Danny finished, and Peter nodded. The group went their separate ways to get to their lockers before class started. Surprisingly, Ava followed Peter. The somewhat oblivious wall-crawler reached his locker and opened it, his mind spinning. He really hoped that he didn't just make a huge mistake. Could he really trust Flash Thompson with his biggest secret of all?

Ava leaned against the locker next to his, arms folded over her chest, one leg tucked behind the other. "You know I'm not okay with this." He shut his locker, tucking his book under his arm, and turned to face her to give her his undivided attention. Her hazel eyes narrowed. "The only reason why I'm going along with it because you're the leader. And I trust you." There was some hesitation before the next part. "Don't make me regret that decision."

In truth, Ava's opinion was one of a good handful that mattered to him the most. She was the closest member of the team to him, with Danny coming as a close second, and she never held back from speaking her mind. That's what he liked about her. He normally gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. _She_ gave everyone blunt honesty.

Unless she somewhat cared about someone. Including Peter. Peter was one of those people.

"Aw c'mon. You can't stay mad at this face, can ya?" he jested lightly.

"Yes," Ava regarded him flatly.

"...Moving on," Peter shifted his weight from one foot to the next. But what could he say? Obviously not something stupid like - "You wanna get together with me and MJ after school? We've got this studying thing and -"

"I'll pass."

_Record scratch._

**Awkward.**

" -Wh-what?"

"I said I'll pass. Thanks but no thanks." Ava began to retreat, but Peter fell into step with her.

"Why?" he wanted to know.

"Why what? You don't need an explanation."

"Uh, yeah I do."

"_Uh,_ no you don't."

Peter squinted._ "Uh, yeah I do!"_

**I can play this game all day.**

"Let it go, Parker. I'm done with this conversation."

"Yeah? Well I'm not." Peter then stepped in Ava's line of view, blocking her from going any further. She stopped herself from running into him, shooting the wall-crawler an annoyed look, and he held his hands up innocently. "Do you have something against MJ or something?"

Ava arched an eyebrow blankly.

**What? Girls have problems for no reason, right? ...Right?**

"Get out of my way."

Peter sheepishly obliged.

* * *

"Ava's not coming?"

"Nah...she, uh...um..."

Peter and his best friend, Mary Jane Watson, were sprawled lazily across her living room floor, their homework spread out all over the place. He hadn't been spending enough time with her lately, so he decided to change that. Harry was next on his list of people-he-had-to-abandon-a-lot-cause-reasons.

So while Peter stumbled with his words, Mary Jane began to pout; the way her bottom lip jutted out just over her top and how her green orbs enlarged distracted Peter enough to make him smile. She was so adorable.

**What? It's not like you see "Ava" and "adorable" in the same sentence.**

Three knocks sounded in the Watson household. Peter hopped up, nearly skipping over to the door.

"Don't worry, MJ. I'm sure Ava is-"

He swung the door open.

"-here?"


	2. From Tiger to Spider

**Hey guys! 12 reviews, wow! Jazzy's back with a bang! I feel happy and proud of myself.**

**Here is the long awaited chapter 2. Enjoy :3**

* * *

"Ava?"

**I can't believe it! Ava Ayala, the girl who could probably kick my butt into next week if I tell her, 'I told you so', is standing _right here_ on MJ's doorstep!**

**I totally told her so.**

"Is that invitation still open?" Ava said, leaning around Peter just as she saw a flash of red.

"Of course it's still open. Come on in!" MJ reached passed Peter to grab Ava and tug her inside the house. "Excuse Peter. He's such a boy."

"Um, offense!" Peter frowned as he closed the door, following the bubbly redhead and the stiff Latina back into the living room. "So, Ava...what changed your mind?"

"Maybe she _wanted_ to come?" MJ gave her best friend a look, he giving her a nasty one in return. "You can stay for as long as you like, Ava," she told the latter. "I'm actually glad you're here."

"...You are?" Ava arched her eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah!" MJ smiled at Ava. "I need a feminine input! Being surrounded by testosterone all the time gets kinda old, if you know what I mean."

Ava cracked a smile. "Tell me about it."

"Hel_lo!_ I'm still here!" Peter waved his arms frantically, causing the two to look over at him. "Sorry for ruining your little moment there, and I mean it's great that the two of you are bonding and all, but could ya at least have the decency to do it when I'm _not_ in the room?"

"Go tinkle," said MJ without tearing her eyes off of Ava.

"W-What? I don't tinkle! I'm a man! A-And real men don't tinkle!"

"Then go piss," Ava commented, grinning at MJ.

**I can't believe this is happening right now.**

**Ava can't just...just _hog_ my best friend!**

_**[ "Well you did want this to happen,"**_** chibi!Devil Spidey cackled as he crawled up onto Peter's shoulder. _"What's the worst that could happen? They choose each other over you?"_**

**Chibi!Angel Spidey came up on the opposite shoulder. _"Don't listen to him. You wanted Ava and MJ to get along. Isn't this great?"_**

_**"Great would be if they ditch him and make out."**_

_**"I am so done with you." ]**_

**I'm so done with the both of you. These inner monologues are starting to get creepy!**

**Anyways, while my two favorite girls make googly eyes at each other, your favorite web-swingin' superhero is gonna make like a banana and split.**

And that's what he did. He barely got a goodbye from the two when he decided to sneak out of MJ's bedroom window, leaving the girls in the kitchen. Grinning to himself, he jumped from Mary Jane's roof to the next, shedding his civvies as he went. Once at the end of the neighborhood, he pulled his mask over his face and made a giant leap, shooting a web and propelling himself up into the night sky. "Woo_hooOOOO!"_

"Did...did Peter just _leave_?" MJ leaned around the table.

"Eh, you'll get used to it," said Ava, nonchalant as she tapped her pencil against her textbook.

"I'm already used to it." MJ slumped a little, turning a page in her binder. "He better have a good reason for ditching us this time."

"If I were you, I wouldn't ask. His excuses are always stupid. _True_, but stupid."

MJ's lips curved into a little grin, green eyes twinkling. "He must give you a rough time too."

"Tell me about it."

"How did you guys meet Peter, anyway?"

"Uh-" Ava racked through her brain for a good excuse; one that won't bite her in the butt later. "We all kinda transferred here around the same time and..." MJ nodded with interest, resting her cheek in her palm, "we met him in class. Principal Coulson suggested that he'd show us around or whatever." _Yeah. That works_. "Kinda embarrassing if you ask me."

MJ giggled. "Yeah. Me and Peter go way back."

"He's told us."

"Really? He talks about me?"

"He will not _shut up_ about you." Ava's voice dropped to a deadpan, which MJ giggled at. "And Harry. Are they good now, anyway?"

"From what I've heard." MJ nodded. "I'm glad. I hate seeing them mad at each other."

"What would they be mad at each other for?"

The redhead sighed. "I don't know anymore."

_I do_. But of course Ava would never let slip that the main reason why there was tension between the two in the first place is because Norman Osborn is MIA and '_Spider-Man_' was to blame for it. Ava decided to lighten the mood a little, "Well, they're boys. Therefore, they're idiots, MJ. They can't be saved."

It worked. MJ snorted. "We're doomed as a society."

Ava pondered thoughtfully. "Well, Danny and Luke aren't that bad."

"Yeah, Luke and Danny seem pretty cool. I love it how Danny always sounds like a fortune cookie."

"Why do you think we call him that?"

MJ got up from her seat, circling around the table to reach the cabinet. "I think it's kinda cute."

_RECORD SCRATCH_. "You think Danny is cute?" Ava turned around in her seat to look at the other girl as the latter fished around for a glass. She should've known that the topic of boys was bound to come up.

"Yeah, why not? Don't you think he is?"

"I - I haven't really thought about it but...Yeah, I guess he's alright? As friends go, I mean."

"I feel ya. Water?"

"Milk," Ava blurted out. Okay, so she loved milk. Sue her. "I-I mean -"

"No worries. Vitamin D comin' right up!" MJ grabbed another glass and closed the cabinet with her elbow, setting the cups down on the counter before turning on her heel to get to the refrigerator next. "So what's your type, girly?"

Ava's throat went dry. "My...m-my type?"

"Yeah, your type of guy. The kind of people you're into." MJ turned around to look at her, smiling over her shoulder.

The heroine's heart began to race, startling herself when a certain wall-crawling hero popped into her mind. She brushed the thought off before it could finish or embarrass herself even further. "Uhh, I'm not really the dating type."

"Have you _ever_ dated?"

"...No."

MJ gasped, whirling around completely with the gallon of milk in hand. "You've never gone out with anybody? Never had a boyfriend?"

"_That_ would be a negative."

"...Okay, okay," MJ lowered her voice to a stage whisper, leaning forward intently, "have you ever _kissed_ anyone?"

The Latina tensed, shifting awkwardly in her seat. "-...Is that bad?"

_"Oh my God!" _MJ flailed her free arm. "You've never kissed anyone?!"

"Shh!" Ava attempted to shush her.

"You're_ seventeen years old_ and you've never had a _smooch?!_"

"Will you calm down?!" Ava raised her own voice, exasperated. "It's not that big a deal -"

"Uh, it kinda is! Your first kiss is like...like...the rights of passage into becoming a woman!"

"Oh yeah? Who was _your_ first kiss?"

MJ sobered up immediately. She took the top off of the gallon and began to pour Ava her milk, whispering something in a small voice.

Even her super hearing couldn't pick up on that. "Who?"

"..._Peter_," MJ admitted sheepishly, a tad bit louder, placing the top back on and twisting it shut.

Ava's breath caught in her throat. "_Parker?_"

"Mhm?" MJ's voice went a couple octaves higher, choosing this time to turn her back to Ava and busy herself in the refrigerator once more.

"And..." Ava idly tapped her fingers on the countertop, "when did you two...kiss?"

"When we were twelve and we decided to get serious," MJ answered robotically, as if it was a normal, rehearsed thing for her to say.

Ava stared. "Really?" she deadpanned.

MJ snickered. "Yeah, well...we were only twelve. And we've been best friends since we were little. Nothing's changed since then..." she reminisced, now pouring herself some water.

The other girl hesitated. "Do you...do you wish something was different between you guys?" A part of Ava didn't even want to know. And maybe a part of her dreaded what was to come from the redhead's mouth.

And MJ did look like she was thinking about it.

She ended up shrugging and turned around to face her new friend. "Peter's my best friend. Always have been. Always will be. Would I take back our first kiss?" She shook her head with a small, fond smile. "No. I'm glad that my first kiss was with someone I cared about. I hope it's the same for you, Ava." The future journalist touched the heroine's arm. "When you find that someone to kiss - make sure it's someone who cares about you too."

Ava did not expect that.

MJ then got a mischievous look in her eyes. "So I hear _you and Sam _are pretty close-"

"Don't even!" Ava held her hand up and closed her eyes, and MJ burst into a fit of giggles.

* * *

"Daddy's home!" Peter greeted, taking his mask off as he hopped down.

"Don't ever say that again." Luke shook his head with a grin, never taking his eyes off the TV.

"You're so_ lame_, Parker." Sam walked into the den, handing over a slice of cake, which Peter took eagerly. "What's got you back so early, anyways?"

"Eh, Ava came and now she and MJ are having their girl time," Peter spoke as he chewed, waving it off as he sat down next to Luke, lounging back. "Man, it's good to be home..."

"Have they abandoned you?" Danny asked from his lotus position in the corner.

"_Something_ like that. Damn, this cake is good! Did you just make this?"

"You're welcome." Sam grinned smugly.

"Where's Aunt May?" Peter asked the group.

"Something about Mary Jane's mom and bowling," Sam answered, taking off his apron. "She'll be back later. Like,_ way_ later." He plopped down in the empty space next to Peter, grabbing the nearest video game controller. "Since when are Ava and MJ all buddy-buddy?"

"Since now." Peter rolled his eyes. "'Bout time, if ya asked me."

"When are you gonna tell Mary Jane the truth?" Danny piped up out of pure curiosity.

"About what?"

Three sets of eyes flickered in his direction pointedly.

**Oh. _That_ one.**

"You _know_ I want to. She's my best friend. And Harry...I've nearly told him a bunch-a times but...I don't know guys, what if the truth comes out and it ends up getting them hurt?" Peter's face fell.

Luke patted him on the back sympathetically. "They're probably gonna get hurt, whether ya do or ya don't, Pete," he said.

"I know that, but - what if my enemies found out? What if my secret gets out to everyone? What if I worry her too much when we're apart? W-What if -"

"Dude, you need to stop whining and just tell her already before I tell her _for_ you," Sam scoffed. "I could care less about Harry."

_"Hey."_

"Kidding. But seriously! Have you met the girl? She's a total badass! And since she and Ava are getting all...close and whatever, she'll be like, twice as safer or something."

Peter sighed. Sam, as much as he'd hate to admit it, had a point. Maybe he_ should_ tell her. Maybe he _should_ finally tell MJ the truth. The_ whole_ truth.

"Bet'cha I can beat your ass this round, Webs!"

Peter immediately finished the rest of his cake in one gulp, nearly jumping Luke for the other controller. "Eat my dust, Buckethead!"

**Maaaaybe I'll just tell her later.**

* * *

**REVIEW RESPONSES :**

**Leman of the Russ: A girl like me never gives up ;D Thanks for the review &amp; sorry for the confusion!**

**gwb620: Hehe I'm going to enjoy writing Flash! As for the person at the door, you'll just have to read on!**

**latinoheat151: Thanks :]**

**cabrera1234: That's the spirit! xD**

**GET'EM 64: Yo! Feels good to be back, man! As always, your reviews are always welcome.**

**XxCrimsonShadowxX: Don't beat yourself in the head! Your reviews never go unnoticed :] Thanks for the constant support!**

**sport21: Yeah, I miss them too...But I'd rather have something going with a story than have you all waiting for an update that will probably never come. Thanks for the review dear!**

**I'm too lazy to: Cliffhangers are what I live for, buddy c: Fear not, the new update is here!**

**PoeticLover1996: Gotta love 'em, girl :D**

**Plado: Thanks, dude! &amp; hey, if it brings a smile to your face, I'm doing my job right. :]**

**bekkihaiti: Yeeah, me too. I would totally be pumped if that happened! Thanks &amp; I definitely will!**

**Nightwing1: You got it! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	3. A Model for an Assistant?

**So I went on a Spidey binge and watched the Spider-Man Trilogy. Helloooo nostalgia!**

**Is it bad that I still know the words? Probably.**

* * *

"Hey, Harry!" Peter greeted his best friend as he climbed into the limo. "Thanks for giving me a ri-"

He stopped short when he realized that Harry wasn't the only one inside; sitting across from the youngest Osborn with a black notepad in her lap and pen in hand was a girl that was around their age, maybe a little older. She had long, dark brown hair, almost black, straightened professionally; striking green eyes with traces of gold around the pupil and long eyelashes; fair, pale skin, and a slim figure. The unfamiliar girl wore all black; a silky short sleeved shirt tucked in a high-waist pencil skirt, tights, and strapped heels.

_...Okay. She was pretty_.

Both Harry and the girl looked up at him, the former tilting his chin up in greeting and the latter giving him a once-over before her attention diverted back to the rich teen. "Will that be all, Mr. Osborn?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Felicia." Harry waved Peter in. "Hey, buddy!"

"Hey! Uh...sorry for, um...interrupting?" Peter closed the door behind himself, and the limo eased forward with a soft purr beneath his feet; he sat next to his male companion, looking from him to the girl named Felicia.

"Nah, you're fine. Peter, this is Felicia - she worked for my dad before he...you know. Felicia, this is Peter," Harry introduced the two.

"Hi," Peter waved awkwardly.

"Mr. Parker," Felicia nodded back.

His smile was just as bashful, finding himself looking at Harry again expectantly for more insight. Chuckling, Harry went on, "Since my dad is M.I.A., they're putting me as head of Oscorp. Felicia's my assistant."

"That's great, Harry!" Peter clapped him on the back.

**I'm really happy for him...but I don't think Norman will be too happy about this. He isn't exactly_ dead_.**

Peter sneaked one more look at Felicia.

**Is it bad that I think she's cute? Like..._really_ cute?**

"_I know_," Harry whispered to him knowingly, as if he could read his mind.

Peter found himself grinning just as stupidly. 'Dude! How old is she?' he mouthed.

'Eighteen,' Harry mouthed back.

They were seventeen. '_Dude_.'

'_I know_.'

'Does she go to our school?'

'No. She has a poor background and barely got through high school. Her internship at Oscorp helps her with college and finances and all that stuff.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. And since her classes are online, I get to see her _all the time_.'

'Does she stay in the loft with you too?'

'She has nowhere else to go...'

Felicia was seemingly oblivious as the two boys stared at her, but she was too busy scrolling through schedules and reminders on her phone.

_Poor Felicia..._Peter thought.

"Mr. Osborn, you have a meeting at four o'clock."

"Alright."

"Mr. Parker, is there anywhere you would like to go in particular?"

Peter stammered, still getting used to her direct acknowledgement, "M-Me?"

Her lips twitched slightly. "You. Mr. Osborn has places to be. As his colleague, you have my services as well. Under his permission."

"U-Uh...well..._home_, I guess?" He didn't wanna be a bother, and he needed time to think.

Felicia nodded and looked over at Harry.

Harry lounged back and raised his voice so the limo driver could hear him, "We're going to Aunt May's, Bernard."

"Right away, sir!" the elder man replied.

* * *

"Who is this_ Felicia_ girl?"

"I don't know, but from the way he was _drooling_ about her, I'm guessing she's hot."

Ava and Mary Jane walked to lunch together, side by side, the redhead listening to the Latina as she spilled the beans about the girl Peter and Harry couldn't shut up about. While ranting - er,_ talking_ \- Ava was so oblivious that she didn't notice the way Mary Jane was looking at her. Almost like...like she was _smug_.

"Who knows? Maybe she's a model."

"A _model_ for an _assistant_?" Ava snorted. "That only happens in horrible cliche films."

"What's wrong with horrible cliche films? They're fun to laugh at."

Speak of the spider devil.

"Hey, Pete! Who's the hot chick Ava told me you were talking about?" Mary Jane greeted casually, leaning around Ava's shoulder to peer over at her best friend. Peter went pink in the face, eyes flitting to Ava in disbelief.

"Wh -? I never t - How di - Which means y - but t - _How did you know about that?_" Peter stammered in embarrassment.

"Well, you talk loud enough about her. The whole school probably knows by now." Ava rolled her eyes.

Peter groaned, dragging his hand down his face. "Great..."

"Ooooh! Does someone have a cruuush?" Mary Jane sang.

Ava's heart made a strange leap, and she suddenly had the urge to throw up. Oh god. _Why_ was she reacting this way? It's not like she cared! ...Right?

"Wh-What? No! I don't have a crush on her!" Peter exclaimed, bringing Ava out of her weird thoughts. "She's just...really pretty."

Ava snorted and picked up her speed, the other two awkwardly bolting forward to keep up with her. She didn't want to hear anymore of this. Hmph. Who does Parker think he is? Did he not think MJ was pretty? Did he not think that_ she_ was pretty?

_Whoa. Whoa. Calm down, Tiger,_ she told herself._ You're just over-thinking things, that's all. He's a boy. He's stupid. Of course he's gonna be attracted to short skirts and high heels upon first glance. How pathetic_.

"Are _we_ not pretty enough for you?"

Ava would have turned and laughed at the bewildered look on Peter's face from Mary Jane's intimidating question, feeling herself smirk. Oh man. MJ was _the best_. Why didn't she see how great she was before?

"W-What are you talking abo- Of course I think you're pretty!" Peter's face put roses to shame, avoiding Mary Jane's teasing gaze. "I-I think the both of you are...pretty...and, uh..."

"Nice save." Mary Jane patted Peter on the back.

Ava snickered.

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, Eugene Thompson, a.k.a. Flash ( a.k.a. freakin' Agent _Venom!_ ), had just gotten his lunch tray and was now looking for a place to sit. Since his personality turn-around, he's been debating for a while whether or not he should try to mingle with other people that weren't a part of the same..._clique_ as him. He's trying to change for the better, and since he got to know Parker better than he ever had before, he's starting to think that the little dude was rubbin' off on him.

Did this mean he had to lose a few friends in the process? Probably. 'Sides, who cares? He was a superhero now!

Uh...superhero-_in-training_. But hey, it did have its perks! His living situation hadn't been the best until now, and his new home was at the Triskelion with the New Warriors and Parker's team. He got his own room, which was_ huge_, and, like, _dude_, just wait until you see the _bathroom_ -

His inner monologue came to a screeching halt when he saw his ex girlfriend, Liz Allan, walking passed him as if he was nothing but a stranger. He sighed. He didn't blame her. He hadn't been the best...boyfriend. Looking at her now made a wave of nostalgia wash through him. Like that Ayala girl, Liz was Hispanic, with a lighter, olive-toned complexion; dark brown, curly hair with lighter highlights; a cute little figure; and_ man_, those chocolate brown eyes...

_Snap out of it, man!_ he scolded himself. Thinking about her only makes it_ worse!_

He sighed, trying to avoid the popular table ( where _she_, and most of his ex best friends, sat ), and searched for another place to sit. Parker and the others weren't there yet, so maybe he could...Ah! There!

Shuffling over to the table to the right, he sat down across the table from a blonde girl with a black headband and blue eyes. When she looked up from her book, her eyes widened a fraction in surprise.

"Hey, Sta - I mean, Gwen," he greeted her. "Ya don't mind if I sit here, do ya?"

The girl called Gwen smiled, although he could tell she felt baffled; they weren't exactly _seen_ together in public that much. "Um, sure. How are you doing, Eugene?"

He wanted to cringe at his real name. Gwen Stacy was one of the smartest girls in school, and she had been his on and off again tutor for the past year and a half. He liked to keep things on the _down-low_. "I'm uh...I'm alright. How you doin'?"

"I'm okay. So did you need something, or-?"

"W-Well I just thought I'd sit somewhere else for a change and...uh..."

"Did you friends kick you out of the table?"

"...Yeah..."

"It's because you've stopped bullying. Isn't it?"

Leave it to Gwen to know _everything_. But then again, with someone like him, people noticed when he stopped doing _anything_. He gave her a sheepish nod, opening his milk and downing it with one hand.

"Then they weren't your real friends."

Flash paused mid-slurp, slowly lowering the carton. "What?"

"Real friends accept you for who you are, not for what you do to stay on top of the 'food chain'," she held up quotations at the end, rolling her eyes. He found himself grinning before he could stop himself.

"Hey, Gwen..."

"Hm?"

"Do you wanna be my friend?"

At that, she giggled, untwisting her water bottle. "I thought I already was?"

* * *

"Hey, Flash!" Peter waved, his lunch tray in hand. The arachnid hero noticed who Flash was sitting with and vaguely recognized her. What was her name...?

"Hey, Parker!" Flash gestured for him to join them, muttering a few words to the girl to probably get her approval.

Peter turned to the rest of his friends. "How 'bout it, guys?"

His team, along with MJ of course, nodded and made sounds of agreement, and he led the way over to the table. As he got closer, he got a better look at the blonde girl. Now he remembered! They shared a couple of classes together in the past. She was so smart it was _rad_.

"Hey, Gwen!" Mary Jane beamed at the other girl, who smiled back. "Guys, this is Gwen," she introduced her to the group. "Gwen, this is Peter," ( "Hiya!" ), "Ava," ( "Hey."), "Danny," ( "Namaste." ), "Sam," ( "'Sup!" ), "and Luke!" ( "How ya doin'?" )

"Hey," Gwen waved back bashfully. "I remember you, Peter. We had some classes together, didn't we?"

"Yeah. We did." Peter grinned. "Mind if we join ya?"

"Not at all."

The heroes sat down with Flash and Gwen, some having to pull up extra chairs to fit in on the opposite ends of the table. Mary Jane and Gwen burst into chatter, and the boys immediately picked up where they left off earlier.

Peter, however, drifted off into his thoughts once more.

**Gwen's a nice girl. She's definitely a good rival if you wanna get a good grade...I wonder if she and Ava could get along?**

"Parker," Flash muttered in his direction, voice low so Gwen and Mary Jane couldn't overhear.

"What's up?" Peter whispered back, knowing that this wasn't just any ordinary topic.

"Are we patrolling tonight?"

His eyes danced with barely concealed excitement and determination, and Peter grinned at his former enemy. He recalled the days where Flash would beat him up and make fun of him all the time. Now Flash was fighting for the greater good, side by side with him. He would have never thought he'd live to see the day.

"I don't see why not."

* * *

**Sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long. I hope you all are still here with me! The beginning of this chapter has been rewritten and thought of, like, a billion times until the muse started flowing. Anyway, give that review button some love if ya liked it! uwu**


End file.
